The Air Liquide Foundation is supporting the Humanium association whose mission is to work with its local partner Hand in Hand to co-build lasting change to promote children's rights. To put an end to child labor and to improve their living conditions, the association wants to make a village in Tamil Nadu a "friendship village".

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Children's rights in India

The Tamil Nadu region deep in southern India, is a rural area dealing with an overall lack of development. This means poverty there is omnipresent and has extensive consequences on children's lives, education and development. Children must contend with virtually non-existent life and health rights, as well as malnutrition. They have to work and have no freedom of expression. Thus, the rate of school absenteeism is very high.

All of these reasons explain why the Realization of Children’s Rights Index created by Humanium rates India as red, underscoring the vulnerability of young Indians.

Creation of a "friendship village" in Perumpakkam

The Perumpakkam "friendship village" project seeks above all to secure children's rights in rural environments through two initiatives:

Promote children's rights and the importance of education within the community: form a Children's Friendship Committee, organize rallies and campaigns to promote children's rights and the importance of education, create a welcoming environment thanks to the "Children's Friendship Village";

End child labor and offer quality education for all: register all children in the school system, monitor of children's support and absenteeism, create two children's learning centers to provide reading and math tutoring to prevent school drop-out, improve teaching quality to encourage learning, etc.

By launching these programs in Perumpakkam and a neighboring village, the Humanium association is helping change the population's attitudes about children's rights and, as a result, promote development in the region.

How the Air Liquide Foundation is participating

The foundation supports various measures within this program. In particular, it is funding the creation of two learning centers, equipment upgrades at the village's five schools and the renovation of two daycare centers.